What do you think about Mike Glennon, QB NC State. Bucky Brooks wrote a pretty good article about the kid below. Brooks has been an NFL scout for a long time and I respect the guy. Personally, I am glad to see a darkhorse emerge because I am not sold on the big three. I bet the scouts aren't either...

N.C. State QB Mike Glennon's stock is rising after a prolific performance in a narrow loss to North Carolina.

Mike Glennon might be the best quarterback available in the 2013 NFL Draft.

I know that statement will take many by surprise, considering the endless hype and speculation surrounding West Virginia's Geno Smith and USC's Matt Barkley, but there is a growing sentiment in the NFL scouting community that the N.C. State star could be the crown jewel of this year's quarterback class.

I had heard about Glennon's ascension up draft boards across the league over the past few weeks, but it wasn't until I made a trip to North Carolina to study him in person on Saturday that I could see what all the commotion was about. Glennon's masterful performance in a 43-35 loss to North Carolina made the visit well worth the trouble.

Glennon completed 29 of his 52 passes for 467 yards, throwing five touchdowns and two interceptions. Those numbers might not be impressive at first glance, but when one considers the 10 passes dropped by Wolfpack receivers, it becomes clear that the stat sheet wasn't indicative of Glennon's efficient play from the pocket. Glennon connected on 20 of his first 29 passes and finished the night with five completions of 30-plus yards. Most impressively, he hit 10 different receivers and showed his capacity to make every throw in the book from the pocket.

Charting Glennon's throws, I noticed that while he worked every area of the field, he was particularly effective in the 10- to 15-yard void between the hashes, repeatedly hitting receivers on the move on an assortment of crossing routes and square-ins over the middle. Although the over/under read is a fairly simple one, the fact that Glennon wasn't afraid to throw between linebackers speaks volumes about his anticipation and awareness.

I noticed three additional aspects of Glennon's game that will stand out when NFL scouts pop in the tape:

1. Arm talent. Glennon is one of the most impressive throwers in college football. He has rare arm strength, and his ability to make all of the throws to every area of the field with zip and velocity makes him an ideal fit for most traditional pro-style systems. While watching him work against the Tar Heels, I was blown away by the pace of his balls. Glennon unleashes laser-like tosses on out-breaking routes; he will not have any issues throwing the deep comeback to the far side of the field from the pocket. When given the opportunity to attack down the field on vertical routes, Glennon displayed excellent accuracy and touch. He routinely dropped the ball in over the receiver's proper shoulder, and he rarely forced his receivers to alter their stride. This will certainly catch the attention of scouts and coaches who favor offensive systems built on the vertical passing game; it could be what separates Glennon from the other prospects leading up to the draft.

2. Pocket presence. Glennon is not an athletic playmaker, and he can't defeat defenses with his feet. He can, however, punish opponents with his precise passing skills. When given ample time to throw from a clean pocket, Glennon looked like a potential Pro Bowl-caliber player, delivering pinpoint throws to his intended targets and displaying the kind of consistent placement one would expect from an elite signal-caller. His accuracy and ball placement, in fact, ranked as definite bright spots in his overall performance. Though he showed outstanding poise against pressure, he simply lacked the elusiveness to avoid multiple rushers in the pocket, taking five sacks that a better athlete might have avoided. To succeed against blitz-heavy tactics as a pro, he'll need to develop a top-notch feel for deciphering coverage, particularly blitz pressure, and utilize hot reads/sight adjustments to exploit the defense's vulnerabilities. Glennon certainly appears to have the football IQ necessary for grasping and executing that concept after spending four years playing within a pro-style system at N.C. State, but he'll need additional coaching and repetitions to master the nuances of the tactic.

3. Leadership. One of the traits most coveted by scouts and coaches searching for a franchise quarterback is leadership ability. Elite quarterbacks must be able to inspire confidence in their teammates with their poise and performance under pressure. They must also outwork everyone in the building, putting in the time to master the nuances of the offense. Glennon exhibited all of those qualities with his strong performance against the Tar Heels. He rallied the Wolfpack back from an 18-point deficit, making a host of big plays to energize his sideline. Most importantly, he didn't give up on his teammates despite the countless miscues and blunders they made in the passing game. He kept his body language positive and his interactions in the huddle encouraging. Though N.C. State lost, Glennon showed all of the intangible qualities one looks for in a quarterback, likely boosting his value in the minds of evaluators.

Glennon is currently a borderline first-round pick on draft boards across the NFL, but the buzz circulating in the scouting community leads me to believe he'll make a dramatic jump up the charts as the evaluation process continues. At this stage of his development, Glennon reminds me of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. I can see a team falling in love with his talent when he works out in front of scouts at all-star games and other pre-draft workouts. With at least four more games to showcase his immense talent and potential, Glennon is definitely a prospect to watch over the next few months.

I put him in my first pre-season mock for the Chiefs in the fourth round.

He's athletic (which Brooks contridicts, but he's been stated to run about a 4.8 in the 40) and has a big arm.

He's streaky and will try to force throws a lot during a game thinking his arm will bail him out.

I wouldn't spend a first rounder on him as it's going to take some time with an NFL coaching staff to get him to make better decisions with the ball, especially against NFL level defensive backfields. (Which is one of the biggest reasons I like Geno Smith as he's superb with his ball placement, even on the long ones.)

I am impressed with his leadership skills and he is extremely clutch. He has several come from behind wins and has made some huge plays. For example, this year he led NC State back from a 13 point lead in the 4th quarter against #3 ranked Florida State. He completed two 4th down passes and a TD with less than a minute left. That's the sort of thing I'm looking for.

I don't know how much coaching he would need to be ready to play. He does need to make some better decisions but, so does Geno. Geno may have nice placement but he is easily confused and he makes some terrible decisions imo. He doesn't read defenses well before the snap and he looks down field too much. Also, that nice placement will be different in the NFL. Throwing deep into triple coverage isn't going to work.

After the snap, if the first look isn't there, 90% of the time he just throws it deep. About 10% of the time he checks it down. Watch him against Texas Tech below and you'll see what I mean. They aren't even a great defense. I want to like Geno but he scares me. After watching the Tech tape, I can't see how he would go #1 overall. Note that when you watch the tape the first drive was already orchestrated at practice.